Making Partnerships Matter

If the adage two heads are better than one is to be believed, then what could be achieved when thousands come together to innovate? OCLC…

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If the adage two heads are better than one is to be believed, then what could be achieved when thousands come together to innovate? OCLC has worked for over forty years in the library sector, partnering with libraries around the world to deliver transformational services. This unique series of events explored OCLC’s next wave of innovation for libraries.

The Web has revolutionised the way we work, supplying us with new opportunities to deliver services. Web pioneers have shown us that successful networks can be rapidly established, achieve mass adoption, and provide enormous economic benefits back to those who participate. OCLC has coined the term ‘web scale’ to describe the point of difference between those networks that work and those networks that don’t. OCLC is already addressing how library discovery services can be positively impacted by such an environment, and is now investigating other critical library operations including electronic resource management and collection management. Robin Murray provides this strategic overview of OCLC’s product direction and ethos.

A sea change in the information discovery environment has taken place. At the point where desired information is actually delivered to a user upon its discovery, the loop is closed and the cycle of discovery through to delivery is completed. WorldCat Local is OCLC’s solution for the information needs of library customers that require immediate access to materials, be they physical, electronic or digital. Simon Day gives an insight into how OCLC has stepped up to the challenge of providing the single, simple search box that your users want for getting to everything.

OCLC’s stewardship of WorldCat requires that data quality and relevance be assured. Compliance with standards initiatives and involvement in their development is a major function for those tasked with managing the world’s largest bibliographic database. Similarly, WorldCat is responding to an expanded and changing vision of library collections, where greater emphasis is placed on electronic and digital items. This session takes a look at how WorldCat is evolving in the materials it represents and the work being done on initiatives like VIAF, FRBR and RDA. Finally, the session visits some of the ways that libraries, OCLC Research and development partners are innovating with WorldCat data.

Many business environments today provide Web-based management applications that host software and data ‘in the cloud’. Does it make sense for libraries to transfer their management functions and data to the Web? What are the advantages of ‘Web-scale’ to a management and end-user environment? What cooperation opportunities can be created between libraries? And does such a technology shift allow libraries to provide better services to their communities? Hear an overview of developments and thoughts from OCLC on cloud computing for libraries, and what benefits libraries can expect to receive from this new generation of library management services.